Las Vegas attractions go way beyond gaming, shows and night clubs. Drive a hot car at 120 mph, pay to operate construction machinery, play a Titanic passenger. USA TODAY's Kitty Bean Yancey samples some offbeat offerings...READ MORE:
Vegas Casino 'Mob Experience' Attraction to Open
"A Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino plans to offer discounted previews of an interactive attraction being touted as an exploration of the history and lore of organized crime and the effect that major underworld figures played in developing Las Vegas..."
This is kind of the way I feel about chocolate. One of the top 10 free things to do in Vegas is to visit the Ethel M Chocolate Factory. Remember the old saying about "Candy is dandy but liquor Is quicker"? At Ethel M's you can get both in one bite.
A FACT: The fact that the opening of the Fremont East District last Friday night escaped my attention, as do many things these hot August days. This is a renovation and renewal project area adjacent to East Fremont Street from Las Vegas Boulevard to 7th Street.
Apparently some historical markers, eighteen in all, with facts about Las Vegas were implanted along the improved streets, and at least three of these markers so far have been proven to be blatantly untrue, and some others can not be proved. So much for projecting the idea that Vegas is a fair, honest, and truthful place! You would think that with all the money expended, 5.5 million in all, somebody would have checked the facts with the local Historical Society or Academia experts, rather than one Google search. Apparently some "fact" about Bugsy Siegal buying the El Cortez was based upon the movie version "Bugsy", not the real deal.
So I took that trip down Boulder strip from Henderson, passed the magic point where Boulder Highway becomes Fremont Street, and waved at the hookers and drug dealers until I got to the halfway point of Fremont and 15th Street (ground zero) and there were no hookers or drug dealers visible, but a big camera in the sky on a 50 foot pole owned and operated by Metro police. Way to go guys, attack the problem from both ends! Let's clean up Fremont Street, I'm all for it!
Then came the anti-climatic actual drive on Fremont Street under the arch at 7th and Fremont to a similar arch at Las Vegas Boulevard. Saw the neon signs, saw some widening of the sidewalks, but had no desire to actually leave my car and walk around. Saw a photographer eagerly taking pictures of the neon signs. Did not stay long enough to read a possibly misinforming marker.
I actually do see the potential of having an area downtown that has funky nightclubs, bars and restaurants, but potential and actualization are two different things. Maybe it will catch on, but I will not hold my breathe. I think of the Neonopolis fiasco and am quickly brought back to my senses.
Jane Ann Morrison's article in the Las Vegas Review Journal - "City officials' view of historical 'facts' needs fix, as do downtown plaques"
Las Vegas has not been voted the number one city to live in, or even the number one tourist destination --- lately. Then what is the reason that National Geographic voted Vegas Number one? --- Adventure! Oh, yeah, baby! Gambling, shows, great restaurants,cruising the strip, right?
Nope, not quite. The National Geographic voted Vegas number one for opportunities to participate in all kinds of outdoor activities within a short distance of Vegas: hiking, boating, mountain biking, skiing, rock climbing, to name a few. And just as OJ is not only a breakfast drink, Vegas is not just for gambling anymore.
A secret has been revealed that we local have known about for a long time: Vegas is a good home base for outdoor adventure beyond the city limits.
"Experience the most ambitious, commanding water feature ever conceived! Bellagio's world-famous fountains will speak to your heart with opera, classical and whimsical music while flirting with your playful nature through their carefully choreographed movements. You'll be swept away by this breathtaking union of water,music,and light."
Las Vegas is one of seven geographical locations in Legoland California recreated entirely of LEGO bricks. More than 24-million LEGO bricks create this attraction considered the heart of the Park. Miniland Las Vegas features the world-famous Strip including ten different hotel properties chosen for their unique architectural style. The hotels featured are the Luxor Las Vegas, New York, New York Hotel and Casino, Excalibur, Mirage, Treasure Island, Tropicana, MGM Grand, Venetian, Stratosphere tower and two iconic structures of Paris Las Vegas, the balloon sign and Eiffel Tower. “The Strip” at LEGOLAND also features a miniature wedding chapel, monorails and real life sounds recorded in Las Vegas.
This is a reasonable drive and daytrip from Las Vegas to the Western rim of the Grand Canyon! ( Now scheduled for public enjoyment March 28, 2007. )
This from Las Vegas Focus:
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ — STOMP OUT LOUD, the extraordinary new production from the creators of the international sensation STOMP, comes to Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas this spring with a cast double the size of the original production and performed inside a new, $28 million theater specifically created for this production.
Directed and created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, STOMP OUT LOUD will begin performances on March 24, 2007 with a grand opening slated for early April.
A unique combination of percussion, movement, and visual comedy, STOMP has created its own inimitable form of musical entertainment. With STOMP OUT LOUD, the experience is transformed for Las Vegas with new sequences and choreography, a dynamically expanded cast and a completely new environment that will immerse the audience from the moment they enter the 1,500-seat theatre. STOMP OUT LOUD is a journey through sound, a celebration of the everyday, and a comic interplay of characters wordlessly communicating through dance and percussion.
Out here in the desert oasis of Las Vegas, we depend on most goods being shipped in via truck. It is nice to know that there is an outlet where local vendors ( Artisan's, Artists & Farmers ) can sell their wares to the public.
The following is from About Las Vegas:
"The Las Vegas Farmers' Market® began in November 1999 with 9 booths. According to the Las Vegas Farmers' Market web site, today you can find "...over 25 booths, including furniture, jewelry, arts and crafts. Over 5,000 people stop by each week."
There are two farmers' markets open now, one at Gardens Park and one at Bruce Trent Park. The farmers' market at Centennial Hills Park will open in March. Here are the directions.
The big draw at our Farmers' Markets is, of course, the fruits and vegetables. There are four categories of producers at the markets:
1. Self. Grown, organic, supplemental
2. Conventional. On your own farm or in your garden
3. Organic. Biodynamically grown
4. Conventional/supplemental. Grown on a neighboring farm, bought from other farmers, or picked by you from another farm.
Besides fruits and veggies, you'll find local fresh breads and pastries, nuts, plants and more. Local artisans and artists will be on hand with arts & crafts to sell. Here's a list of the usual participants."
Farmers' markets--a family destination!
- By Judy Hedding
Saturday January 13, 2007
It is the nature of Las Vegas to imitate what it can't originate.
"Imitation is the sincerest of flattery." -- Charles Caleb Colton
The Need For Speed In Las Vegas
I am too old to enjoy the amusement park rides that seem to be everywhere these days. In my youth, growing up in Southeastern Pennsylvania in the fifties there was Hershey and Dorney parks, which had wooden roller coasters so tame compared to the monster rides today. At this stage of my life, my cardiologist definitely would advise against my starting a roller coaster program as part of my daily exercise routine. But for you younger and more resilient people there are so many opportunities in the Vegas area to test your stomach's ability to keep its contents ... well, you know, in your stomach.
Coming up I-15 from California what young dude with a passion for extreme speed can resist stopping at Primm, Nevada to get a good dose (topping at 95 mph) at the Buffalo Bill's Desperado Roller Coaster with its 225-foot first drop and steep decline. I've watched and listened to this coaster in action and I don't believe anybody can avoid some screaming on that first big drop.
If you survived this challenge, then further thrills await you upon arrival at the strip in Las Vegas. The list includes (in no particular order) The Roller Coaster Ride at New York-New York, The Adventure Dome at Circus - Circus, Speed-The Ride at The Sahara, and whatever wonderful rides they have on the top of the Stratosphere (Stratosphere Tower Thrill Rides) that I'll never even see because of my intense fear of heights. If I've missed a favorite thrill ride of yours ( driving your car on I-215 excluded ) I apologize.
Here is a list I have found from the experts at Las Vegas Smart, who seem to know best - Las Vegas Roller Coasters.
I like to do Vegas mostly at ground level when at all possible, and anything over walking speed can put an undue strain on my heart. I sometimes get an up and down feeling at the crap table, but that's a different story.
MercurialMike
With a natural circular indoor track, The Desert Passage has got to be one of the best places in Las Vegas for all you mall walkers out there. Great for people- watching while you walk. They also have a free show, an indoor rainstorm! (Indoor rainstorm, complete with thunder and lightening is every half hour on the weekends, every hour during the week.)
Especially in the summer months, it is just too hot to walk outside in Vegas! One caution: if you bring your wallet you may be tempted to dump some cash in the shops (170 of them) along with the pounds you are presumably walking off. I won't even mention the great restaurants(16 of them)!! Park for free in the parking garage just to the East, and jog down (and back up) the steps instead of taking the elevator to increase your heart-rate!
The mall circles the Aladdin Theatre For The Performing Arts, where I have attended such diverse performances as the Moody Blues concerts and a personal darshan moment with my then guru Sri Darwin Gross ( he used to be the Living Master of Eckankar, was kicked out, now in Oregon with a his new group ATOM ). But I digress... Anyway, the acoustic quality of the Theatre For The Performing Arts is much greater here than most Las Vegas showrooms. More digression...
The place used to be a big wooden barn with iffy acoustics, but it's amazing what a $25 million renovation can accomplish. The new Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts, open since August of 2000, earned the title of Best Concert Hall on the Strip from a major Las Vegas newspaper. The cosmetic makeover has brought comfortable new seats that match the royal purples in the decor, wide aisles and a shortened distance between the stage and the first row. Sight lines are clear from the high-roller seats to the balconies, and both the restrooms and the lobby have been expanded. But the theatre sounds even better than it looks, a result of state-of-the-art equipment and acoustic panels in place of windows. The sound system is so advanced that Prince, who's notoriously picky for toting along his own equipment, was so impressed he left said equipment at home. -- David Hofstede, editor, AOL City Guide Las Vegas
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